It Didn’t Happen

I don’t always think like everybody else. For example, I saw this story:

2 Howard County General Hospital Security Guards Injured After Altercation With Man In The ER
(CBS Baltimore)

And my first thought was, “Thank God it was just a knife.”

This story might also be thought of as, “Mass Shooting Did Not Occur Today In Howard County Hospital.”

Now I am not suggesting that we all should be downright happy that someone is bringing a knife into the hospital and cutting up security guards. Of course not. But can you imagine the damage that might have been done in the ER by an angry/out of control person with a gun?

Hospital ERs have to deal with all kinds of people in all kinds of physical and mental states. Years ago I was in the ER at Yale-New Haven on Memorial Day weekend when a bunch of people injured in  a bar fight were brought in. I watched from my little examination cubicle as the drunken brawl broke out again while they were awaiting treatment. It was scary.

I hope that the security guards are well on their way to being physically healed. I imagine the mental/emotional healing from that kind of crisis takes longer, even if you are trained to be prepared for it. Still, I can’t help thinking how horrific the outcome would have been if a gun had been present. People carry the psychic damage of mass shootings with them for the rest of their lives even if they have sustained no physical injuries. Think of how our community reeled from grief after the shooting at the Columbia Mall.

Yesterday, at the hospital, that didn’t happen. Perhaps it’s a crazy thing to be thankful for, but I am thankful nonetheless.